Azure Network Watcher vs Meraki Dashboard comparison

Microsoft and Cisco are both solutions in the Network Monitoring Software category. Microsoft is ranked #48 with an average rating of 8.3, while Cisco is ranked #19 with an average rating of 8.5. Microsoft holds a 0.4% mindshare in NMS, compared to Cisco’s 1.1% mindshare. Additionally, 91% of Microsoft users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 98% of Cisco users who would recommend it.

Azure Network Watcher

Read 12 Azure Network Watcher reviews

705 Views
663 Comparison Views

91% willing to recommend

Meraki Dashboard

Read 58 Meraki Dashboard reviews

2,378 Views
2,069 Comparison Views

98% willing to recommend

Azure Network Watcher

Meraki Dashboard

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 10, 2024

Meraki Dashboard and Azure Network Watcher both compete in the network management tools category. Azure Network Watcher appears to have the upper hand due to its focus on architecture and packet capture functionalities.

Features: Meraki Dashboard offers central management for multisite visibility, presence and user analytics, and intuitive monitoring tools. Azure Network Watcher specializes in packet capture and provides strong database security and connection diagnostics within Azure environments.

Room for Improvement: Meraki Dashboard could improve its licensing process, user guides, and device cloning capabilities. VPN setup and third-party device integration also need improvement. Azure Network Watcher requires additional tools for traffic analysis and better documentation. Improvements in diagnostics and log details would enhance troubleshooting.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Meraki Dashboard supports diverse deployments across private, hybrid, and public clouds, with generally responsive customer service. Azure Network Watcher is cloud-focused, necessitating clearer initial setup and faster response from support teams.

Pricing and ROI: Meraki Dashboard uses a tiered license model which can be expensive, though its features justify the cost. Azure Network Watcher's pricing is considered reasonable but may be high for smaller enterprises, impacting budget-sensitive users.

To learn more, read our detailed Azure Network Watcher vs. Meraki Dashboard Report (Updated: September 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Azure Network Watcher vs. Meraki Dashboard

September 2025

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Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

Azure Network Watcher

Ranking in Network Monitoring Software

48th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

6.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Meraki Dashboard

Ranking in Network Monitoring Software

19th

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

5.7

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of September 2025, in the Network Monitoring Software category, the mindshare of Azure Network Watcher is 0.4%, down from 0.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Meraki Dashboard is 1.1%, down from 1.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Network Monitoring Software Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Meraki Dashboard	1.1%
Azure Network Watcher	0.4%
Other	98.5%

Network Monitoring Software

Featured Reviews

Bijoyendra Roychowdhury

Program Manager at Capgemini

Network monitoring provides comprehensive analytics while the interface requires further development

The quality of Azure Network Watcher is quite good in terms of the in-depth analysis you can create from these matrices. There are other monitoring tools such as New Relic, AppDynamics, and Dynatrace which provide very detailed network tracing. Cloud providers such as Azure or AWS do not have that kind of GUI-based capability at this point, but using PowerShell or Python, you can develop it yourself. From the GUI perspective, it still needs to evolve in terms of quality and standard, though overall, it is quite good for troubleshooting. Regarding areas for improvement, when comparing to other network tools beyond Azure Monitor or Azure Network Watcher, those tools can identify single failed packets. This level of granularity is not currently possible with cloud providers as they only go to a certain level rather than the granular level needed for deep troubleshooting, though they do provide hints with available matrices.

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MURALI NIDAMANURI

Managing Director at a manufacturing company with 10,001+ employees

Dashboard provides comprehensive network security and management capabilities

I don't have specific handy names. Meraki Dashboard uses multiple functions where we can configure SSIDs, firewall policies, DHCP, multiple VLANs and DHCP configurations, VLAN configurations, access control policies, MAC binding, client access based on MAC authentication and certificate-based authentication. We have configured SSO for Windows Active Directory by configuring the RADIUS services. We have implemented many customer requirements in Meraki Dashboard. With the detailed visibility feature of Meraki Dashboard, I get connected clients information, including how much data each client downloaded and what applications they accessed. I can obtain detailed data including ISP links level monitoring and speed. I can perform speed tests, generate analytics reports, convert to Excel based on each user for each department, create dashboards, monitor and limit bandwidths, and restrict specific URLs. The advanced security configuration in Meraki Dashboard is useful for network security. Substantial security can be achieved within Meraki Dashboard itself, eliminating the need for additional firewalls to protect your network. You can configure WAN monitoring, users' ACLs, URL filtering, web filtering, and department-wise access configuration for specific client applications. It's completely cloud-managed, and in a simplified way, you don't need to visit any physical infrastructure to monitor activities. Apart from access points, everything is in the cloud. We have monitored IoT solutions, CCTV monitoring, and can detect and control intrusions. When people connect IoT devices to your network, Meraki Dashboard can detect what device it is and control those access controls, even with different operating systems.

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Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"I like the visibility."

"We use the solution to monitor network services. It helps to capture any network issues."

"The most valuable features I have found are typology, visualization, and capture."

"What I like most about Azure Network Watcher is that it's focused more on the architecture. I also like that it has a packet capture feature that tells you how the packet travels and whether it's exiting Azure, etc."

"The most valuable feature of Azure Network Watcher is using the gateways with the connections. The monitoring is useful for the logs and application insights into the data. The traffic filtering issues when it comes to deploying those applications are helpful."

"The solution is good for monitoring device behavior."

"It provides good visibility."

"The stability is very good. I rate it a ten out of ten."

More Azure Network Watcher pros

"Meraki Dashboard is a cloud-based solution to manage all devices from one single dashboard, and we can manage switches, routers, access points, and firewalls all from that single point."

"What I love most about the Meraki Dashboard are its user-friendly features."

"It's a simple, functional solution."

"We've been spending a lot less time on tickets and deployments, so we have more time to do other things."

"The most valuable feature is ease of use."

"The most valuable feature of Meraki Dashboard is we can manage our switches and access point in one place."

"The most valuable features are the ease of use and a single-pane-of-glass that allows us to identify issues across the entire network from one dashboard."

"Great visibility on the dashboard."

More Meraki Dashboard pros

Cons

"Technical support from Microsoft needs significant improvement compared to other product vendors."

"User experience could be improved."

"Azure is good, however, the Fortinet GUI is more intuitive and I like it more than anything else."

"I still use Wireshark and Azure Network Watcher to get the required data. My team captures the traffic from Azure Network Watcher, downloads it, then imports that traffic into Wireshark to get more details on the number of hits and replies, for example. If you can do that on Azure Network Watcher and have Wireshark built-in, that would make Azure Network Watcher better. If Azure Network Watcher has that functionality where you won't need a third-party tool to get what you need, that would be helpful. I'm also expecting more from Azure Network Watcher. It's more complex than knowing how the IP flows from its source to the destination. The tool also needs more open-source features, such as having some built-in Wireshark that improves monitoring for customers. Sometimes, you encounter a VPN tunnel, network, or routing issue, but finding out more about the blockage is challenging. Is it one hundred percent an Azure issue? Is it a peer issue? You don't get complete information from Azure Network Watcher, so you must use other tools and depend on your strategies to resolve a specific issue. If more features could be added in the next release of Azure Network Watcher, specifically ones you can find on open-source tools, then that would be a plus point for the tool."

"Azure Network Watcher needs to have better documentation and it needs to capture information accurately."

"Lacks sufficient security features."

"Azure Network Watcher could improve by having other built-in applications. For example, an application to log activities for in and outbound traffic."

"I would like to see in the future if we can troubleshoot as a firewall because it is equipment as a network player and some diagnostics."

More Azure Network Watcher cons

"We would like to be able to test the health of WAN connections."

"I think this product could be improved with a CLI for more directives."

"There is a need for price reductions in developing countries, as the cost of Meraki is quite high."

"You can't really clone or replicate a device, that sort of feature would be useful. You can clone the site but you cannot clone the device."

"Something that needs to be improved, is the fact that you if you don't renew the subscription license, it stops working. I would also like to see SSL BPM support for anything else."

"I would like to see an alert event feature to monitor what users are downloading and how to block some applications."

"While the visibility in Meraki Dashboard is good, the solution is too heavy and complex."

"Meraki lacks their own software for connecting to the VPN which creates some issues."

More Meraki Dashboard cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Azure Network Watcher is a little bit expensive."

"The pricing is good. It's not too expensive."

"The price of the solution is reasonable."

"Price-wise, I have no information on how much Azure Network Watcher costs."

"Meraki Dashboard is a utility and portal that's part of the Meraki solution."

"Meraki Dashboard's pricing is reasonable. It is sold yearly, typically for one, three, or five years. I rate its pricing a five out of ten."

"Licensing is around under 1000 pounds. The licensing is either one year, three years, five years or ten years and during the licensing, we can choose to renew it per year or per every three years. We've got a license for three years. It's about 160 or about 200 pounds each."

"The Meraki Dashboard has more competitive pricing."

"Licensing fees are paid on a yearly basis."

"The solution is currently the most expensive on the market."

"Licensing for Meraki Dashboard is paid every year, and it's on a per-device model that costs roughly $300 to $400 per device, but that comes with full support and troubleshooting, etc. Compared to similar products, Meraki Dashboard is quite high-end, but the costs you pay are all-in."

"From a pricing perspective, they are still expensive."

More Meraki Dashboard pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

15%

Computer Software Company

12%

Government

11%

University

Computer Software Company

17%

Educational Organization

Government

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	6
Large Enterprise	6

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	22
Midsize Enterprise	13
Large Enterprise	25

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Azure Network Watcher?

I like the visibility.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Azure Network Watcher?

Azure Network Watcher is affordable from the perspective of basic costing. It doesn't cost too much at this point unless you are requesting customizable detailed matrices. For the default configura...

See all answers

What needs improvement with Azure Network Watcher?

See all answers

What do you like most about Meraki Dashboard?

We greatly utilize the network because we can plug it into the DNS, VPN, or equipment. It's very good. Meraki Dashboard enhances wireless network management. We appreciate its flexibility, as it al...

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Meraki Dashboard?

The cost of the Meraki solution is high, which may not be affordable for smaller companies, especially in developing countries.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Meraki Dashboard?

The aspect I find challenging about this solution is that it is too extensive and complex. For example, when comparing Meraki Dashboard to Juniper Mist, the latter is quite simple. Mist is a very a...

See all answers

Comparisons

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Compared 26% of the time

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Compared 25% of the time

SolarWinds NPM vs Azure Network Watcher

Compared 19% of the time

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Cisco DNA Center vs Meraki Dashboard

Compared 18% of the time

Zabbix vs Meraki Dashboard

Compared 13% of the time

ThousandEyes vs Meraki Dashboard

Compared 9% of the time

SolarWinds NPM vs Meraki Dashboard

Compared 6% of the time

Mist AI and Cloud vs Meraki Dashboard

Compared 6% of the time

More Meraki Dashboard Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Azure Network Watcher

September 2025

Download Azure Network Watcher product report

Buyer's Guide

Meraki Dashboard

August 2025

Download Meraki Dashboard product report

Overview

Azure Network Watcher is a comprehensive network monitoring and diagnostic service offered by Microsoft Azure. It provides a range of tools and capabilities to help users monitor, diagnose, and gain insights into their Azure network infrastructure. With Network Watcher, users can capture and analyze network traffic, monitor network performance, troubleshoot connectivity issues, and gain visibility into network topology. It also offers features like packet capture, flow logs, connection monitoring, and VPN diagnostics to ensure the smooth operation of Azure networks. Network Watcher enables users to proactively identify and resolve network issues, optimize network performance, and enhance the overall reliability and security of their Azure network environment.

Microsoft

Meraki Dashboard is a comprehensive cloud-based platform that offers centralized management and control for all Meraki networking and security products. It provides a user-friendly interface, allowing administrators to easily monitor and configure their network infrastructure from anywhere. With real-time visibility, troubleshooting becomes effortless, ensuring optimal performance and minimizing downtime.

The intuitive dashboard offers a holistic view of the network, enabling quick identification of potential issues and proactive measures. It simplifies network deployment and scaling, with zero-touch provisioning and automatic firmware updates. The robust security features include advanced threat protection, content filtering, and VPN connectivity.

Meraki Dashboard also offers powerful analytics and reporting capabilities, providing valuable insights into network usage, application performance, and user behavior. With its seamless integration and scalability,

Meraki Dashboard is the ideal solution for organizations of all sizes, ensuring efficient network management and enhanced productivity.

Cisco

Sample Customers

Information Not Available

Coop eG, Peet's Coffee & Tea, Priefert Manufacturing, Century Care Management, Clifton College, Zürs Ski Resort, Capital FM Arena, MAXI Autohöfe

Buyer's Guide

Azure Network Watcher vs. Meraki Dashboard

September 2025

Free Report: Azure Network Watcher vs. Meraki Dashboard

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